2011 CSU campaign starts with a stampede

Minutes before the clock struck midnight, candidates for next year’s Concordia Student Union chanted and screamed for their respective parties. The annual Concordia stampede, where candidates run through the two campuses plastering the walls with campaign posters, ran without a hitch. This is thanks mostly in part to a change in rules.

This year, Chief Election Officer Oliver Cohen announced that candidates would be released floor by floor for the first few levels of the Hall building. Then, they would have the chance to put up posters on several billboards-on-wheels that would be placed throughout the campus.

Candidates from both parties were happy with the change as they remarked about the civility of the ordeal. Still, candidate Gonzalo Nieto accused other candidates of throwing elbows. This is only the beginning of controversy in a campaign expected to be a dogfight.

Action Concordia, backed by the current CSU will compete against underdog Your Concordia.

The rumours that swirled last week about Morgan Pudwell and Lex Gill running against a CSU-backed team turned out to be true. Gill is looking to take hold of President while Pudwell is trying to become VP Advocacy and Outreach. Pudwell resigned from the current CSU on Mar 4 from her position as VP Sustainability & Promotions amongst great controversy. Her resignation letter attacked the CSU on several issues including a lack of accountability, and back-door dealings. The result was a heated CSU council meeting on Mar 9 where the current executive spoke to a room clearly mounting against them.

CSU President Heather Lucas and VP External & Projects Adrien Severyns were seen last night at the Hall building talking with members of Action Concordia. Their presence, along with the great number of former CSU executives suggests strong ties between this group and the last CSU.

Action candidate for President Khalil Haddad begs to differ. Haddad is the 2010 President of the Undergraduate Psychology Society. He said that he was upset with the way certain things were handled with the CSU this year. This includes finances and accountability. He also mentioned that he does not know CUSACorp President Amine Dabchy very well and refutes that he is the mastermind of his party.

One story already shooting up from this campaign is the amount of former Arts and Science Federation of Association executives running for the Action party. ASFA 2010 President Aaron Green, VP Loyola & Academic Affairs Terry Seminara and VP Communications Natasha Launi are all running. Launi and Seminara are in the hunt for the coveted executive positions. Left out of the fray is former ASFA VP Sustainability & External Affairs Chad Walcott who will be running against his former colleagues. Walcott said that he does not like how the current CSU handled things and that students need a change.

There remains a couple weeks before election time as the two parties have hinted at lengthy platforms and plenty of promises. Stay tuned to CJLO for all your election coverage. 

Photo by Joel Balsam.